Thermal inkjet printers utilize print cartridges having printheads for directing ink droplets onto a medium, such as paper, in patterns corresponding to the indicia to be printed on the paper. In general, ink is directed from a reservoir via flow paths to orifices or nozzles for release onto the paper. Heaters are provided adjacent the nozzles for heating ink supplied to the nozzles to vaporize a component in the ink in order to propel droplets of ink through the nozzle holes to provide a dot of ink on the paper. During a printing operation the print head is moved relative to the paper and ink droplets are released in patterns corresponding to the indicia to be printed by electronically controlling the heaters to selectively operate only the heaters corresponding to nozzles through which ink is to be ejected for a given position of the printhead relative to the paper.
Given the foregoing, it will be appreciated that failure of ink to be ejected from even one nozzle, such as may result from heater failure or nozzle clogging, can detrimentally affect printer performance and print quality.
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved inkjet printhead.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a printhead which offers enhanced performance as compared to conventional printheads.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a printhead of the character described having an improved nozzle and heater array.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a printhead of the character described which provides similar ink flow paths to each nozzle location.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a printhead of the character described having improved reliability.